Faithful Persistance

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." – Dale Carnegie

There’s a story in the bible about a woman who had suffered for 12 years from a health issue that impacted her entire life.  One day this renowned healer named Jesus came through her town.  She just KNEW if she could reach him and touch him that her affliction could be cured.  So she braved the crowds and slowly but determinedly inched her way closer and closer until she touched the edge of Jesus’ clothes.  Even though Jesus was surrounded by people he felt the healing power leave him and asked who had touched him.  Trembling, the woman came forward and admitted it was her.  Jesus looked on her with compassion and told her that her faith had healed her.

The above story is Shanell Smaw’s favorite because she admires the woman’s faith and her tenacity.  Shanell is Habitat Cabarrus’ new Resource Development Director (Welcome Shanell!)  She plans to direct her own faith and tenacity to help Habitat Cabarrus further its mission to eliminate substandard housing.  Faith and tenacity are tangible tools here at Habitat Cabarrus so Shanell already fits right in.

Shanell comes to Habitat Cabarrus from Raleigh where she worked with NC REALTORS®.   She was a successful fundraiser for the association but she recognized that the sense of fulfilment from knowing that her actions helped someone was missing.  Shanell previously worked and volunteered with a non-profit credit counseling agency, Urban Ministries, Durham Rescue Mission and various non-profits through her church outreach group so gradually came to the realization that non-profit work was her true calling.

Shanell believes that, “Ultimately our purpose is to do what we can to help others.”  She continues, “I feel passionately that a safe home builds the foundation for the rest of an individual’s life.  Basic safety, security, shouldn’t be a daily worry.”

Dave Zablotny, Executive Director points out that “Shanell is a perfect fit for our team at this time. She has a proven track record of fundraising utilizing innovative approaches and also has a great passion and enthusiasm for the work we do, as demonstrated by the volunteer work she has done in the past.  We feel she will continue to build on the excellent resource development work done by Katie Page over the past few years and we are so happy she is part of the team.”

Life-Changing Moments

Alida Zimmerman already recognizes the power in life-changing moments.  Alida is Habitat Cabarrus’ new volunteer coordinator.  (Welcome Alida!)  She joined Habitat Cabarrus in early December and her path to nonprofit work began with a chance interaction that would yield big results.

It was spring break and Alida had come home to nurse a few emotional wounds from a bad breakup.  Alida’s aunt knew an inspirational speaker and began to urge her to attend his next engagement.  Her father soon joined in and they eventually were able to convince her to attend an event.  The speaker, Chris Rosati, learned about Alida’s situation and went off script for five minutes and shared how his own experience with a broken heart led him to find a deeper, truer life and love later. 

Mr. Rosati leads Inspire Media Network which spreads kindness.  He began this non-profit after his diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s Disease or ALS.  Chris chose not to wander the unknown path of his disease with fear but to live with hope and to spread positivity.  Alida felt honored that he took the moment to address her in the midst of his own large issues.  She was so moved by his story and approach to life that she offered to help Chris with his nonprofit and he accepted her services. 

Alida took on a lot of responsibility in her two years with Inspire Media Network.  She created content, planned events, performed marketing tasks, and acted as the voice of the organization.  As Alida expanded her professional capabilities she nourished her soul.  After graduation from Elon University she accepted a job in Charlotte with an advertising agency. She enjoyed the work and appreciated the skills of her co-workers but at the end of the work day, her soul felt tired and flat instead of full.  She recognized that she needed to return to non-profit work to feel the soul-deep satisfaction that comes from creating positive impact on human lives.  That’s when she found Habitat Cabarrus. 

Alida had previously volunteered with the Habitat for Humanity in Durham so she understood how Habitat helps families with a hand up, not a hand out.  She began Googling nonprofit jobs in the Charlotte area and the Habitat Cabarrus position almost magically appeared.  Soon after discovering the position, Alida joined the Habitat Cabarrus team with an eagerness to learn and support our efforts to build community. 

Since joining the Habitat Cabarrus team last month, Alida has learned a lot about our programs and the community we serve. 

“It is so amazing to see how many people and pieces go into building a habitat home, I truly had no idea before I started. My favorite moment so far has been meeting the families and watching them interact. It is a true community that Habitat has built for them; one that is supportive, loving and inspiring and shows that getting a new home is nothing short of extraordinary.”

We are thrilled to have Alida on our team at Habitat Cabarrus and look forward to working with her as we begin our first build of 2017 – the Collegiate Challenge Build sponsored by Publix.  If you would like to volunteer with Habitat Cabarrus, you can contact Alida at azimmerman@habitatcabarrus.org.